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Wednesday, 30 March 2011

On 2nd April a new cake store - Cakeology - is opening in my suburb. I'm super excited about this because they will be stocking a complete range of cake decorating equipment and supplies.....I am never going to run out of sugarpaste again and have to wait for it to be delivered - yay!

Cakeology will also be running a whole lot of different cake decorating workshops over the year, including a day course on how to decorate cupcakes shabby chic style! I am especially excited about this because I have been asked to run the course. My first 2 classes will be held on 30th April and 14th May from 10-2:30pm. You can find out more information about this class and the other classes run by Cakeology here. Here's a peek at some of the cupcakes I will be showing everyone how to make.....

Just wanted to let you all know that the Cakes for Japan charity event in London was a huge success. All of the cakes sold out within 3 hours and over £2,000 was raised for the Red Cross. I was so happy to be a part of this. Here's what I made........

Thursday, 17 March 2011

Tomorrow (18th march) a pop-up shop is going to be appearing at Maiden (188 Shoreditch High Street) from 11-7pm to raise funds for the Red Cross following the devastating events in Japan.

Professional and amateur cake makers from all over London are donating edible treats for sale, with all money taken being donated to charity. So if you're in the area be sure to pop in and show your support. I'll be baking sushi-inspired cupcakes and cherry blossom cookies. A list of some of the goodies which will be available and their amazing creaters are on the Cakes for Japan blog. Check it out!

Wednesday, 16 March 2011

I'm really excited to show you my new cupcake decorating kits which are available now for sale on the Icing Bliss website. Each kit contains 24 coloured cupcake baking cases and 24 assorted plastic cupcake decorations, which can be washed and re-used!

Next there's a fashionista decorating kit which contains purple and black baking cases (12 of each), and a fabulous selection of decorations including red roses, high heels, lipsticks, nail polishes, bows and handbags.

Last but not least is a love-themed kit - perfect for Valentine's day or anniversaries. It contains pink and red baking cases (12 of each) and a selection of decorations including coloured roses, lovebirds, love messages and hearts.

The kits are £10 each (including VAT) and can be posted to anywhere in the UK.Unfortuantely I am unable to post internationally for the time being. I'll be creating different kits during the year so stay tuned for more updates.....

Sunday, 13 March 2011

Here are the cupcakes that I entered into the Squires Cake and Sugarcraft exhibition this weekend. It was such a great show and was sold out on all three days - which only goes to show how much sugarcraft is gaining momentum in the UK.

The theme for the cupcake class this year was 'Engagement cupcakes'. I decided to make a shabby-chic inspired set.....

Monday, 7 March 2011

I love all things shabby chic so when it came time to thinking about how to decorate a freshly baked batch of whoopie pies, I couldn't resist embellishing them with roses and flowers. The recipe I like to use for the whoopies is here from a previous post.

Whoopie pies are so delicious - I can't believe how light the marshmallow cream in the centre is. I highly recommend trying them out.

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

I celebrated my 30th birthday on Saturday and wanted to make something girly (still hanging onto my youth) to mark the occasion. I've wanted to make one of Martha Stewart's creations for a while, so after flicking through her gallery, I came across the pink ruffle tower cake and new that was the cake for me. Here's how it turned out:

I made a triple layer chocolate cake, with nutella between the layers, then frosted the outside with light pink buttercream using a large petal tip (wilton #103). I added a single cream sugarpaste rose on the top to make it extra girly.

Here's the recipe I used for the chocolate cake:

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids)

200g unsalted butter

1 tbsp instant coffee granules

125ml cold water

85g self-raising flour

85g plain flour

1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

200g light muscovado sugar

200g golden caster sugar

25g cocoa powder

3 medium eggs

75ml buttermilk

Method

Prepare three 6" (2" deep) round tins by greasing the sides and lining the base with baking paper. Preheat the oven to fan 140C. Mix the coffee granules into the cold water and pour into a heavy-based pan. Add the chocolate (broken into pieces) and the butter as well. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat. While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Next beat the eggs is a separate bowl and stir in the buttermilk. Pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, runny consistency. Pour mixture into the tins and bake for about 90 minutes so that when you push a skewer in the centre it comes out clean and the top of the cakes should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit).

Once the cakes are done, remove them from the oven but leave them to cool in the tin (don't worry if the tops of the cakes dip slightly). After about 30 mins, turn them out of their tins and onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.When the cakes are cool, sandwich them together with generous amounts of nutella. You can leave the cake plain, or cover it in buttercream if desired.